


Burning Petals

by darkandsweetlullabies



Category: Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Original Work
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/F, High Fantasy, Inspired by Daphne and Apollo (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Female Character, Lesbian Character, Original Character(s), Original work - Freeform, Queer Character, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, References to Shakespeare, Slow Burn, only slightly inspired by daphne and apollo, wlw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28564389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkandsweetlullabies/pseuds/darkandsweetlullabies
Summary: Mila Laurier is famous for her tricks and her talent with weapons. Stella Dagon wants to be anything but the heir to a county. When Mila and Stella get into a fight, Stella steals Mila's most prized possession, and Mila won't stop at any cost to get it back.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	Burning Petals

A silver dagger with a legendary ruby on the hilt was sheathed on the inside of her pea coat. Under normal circumstances, the weapon would be accompanied with a fabled sword. 

Mila lightly touched the dagger from over her coat. When she felt the hilt underneath the fabric, she relaxed. The sword was already lost due to her mistakes, and the last thing Mila needs is for her lovely dagger to also be lost. 

The road was still wet from yesterday’s showers, and with the perpetual downcast weather, the puddles will remain for at least a few more days. Mila scanned the windows of the shops lining the streets until she found the one that she was looking for. Madame Hyacinth’s Floral Arrangements.

Mila opened the door, and a bell rang. “Madame Hyacinth?” 

A woman, holding thick shall around her, came in from a door in the back of the shop. “Oh, Miss. Laurier! What a pleasant surprise,” Madame Hyacinth said.

“Wasn’t planning on coming, but I needed flowers last minute,” Mila explained.

The florist raised her eyebrows. “Flowers? Well, look around for something while I get you a cup of tea. It’s chilly outside, and I bet you need something to warm you up.”

“Thank you.” If Mila ever treated anyone with even the barest hint of softness, then it would be to this old lady. 

Madame Hyacinth went back into the storeroom. Mila went straight to a hidden corner of the shop. She didn’t need to look around; she knew exactly what she needed to buy. Grouped in several large vases were hibiscuses. All of them a dark crimson. The color of blood.

These flowers shouldn’t be able to grow on Madame Hyacinth’s roof garden in this climate, but Mila had already theorized that the florist had some sort of magical abilities. Regardless of magic, the only reason why Madame Hyacinth even had hibiscuses was linked to Mila’s father. Why her father liked the flowers to the extent of convincing the florist to grow them remained a mystery to Mila, but she didn’t complain. The deep red hibiscus is just as important to the Lauriers as the sword.

“What’s the occasion for the flowers?”

Mila turned around. Madame Hyacinth already returned the tea. “It’s for a girl,” Mila said.

“A girl?” The florist quickly hands Mila the tea before dropping it. “Mila Laurier buying flowers for a girl? Unbelievable! Who is this special girl?”

Mila took a sip of her burning tea and let a smug smile creep on her face. “The count’s daughter.” 

***

She looked down at the gown and tried to smoothen it as much as she could. Mila had replaced her usual trouser, blouse, and boots for an elegant, black ball gown. Underneath the gown, her dagger was strapped to her thigh, easily accessible using a hole in one of the gown’s pockets. 

The carriage came to a halt near the gates of the Dagon Manor. Refusing any help from the coachman, Mila exited the carriage, holding the bouquet of hibiscuses in her arms.

Inside the manor, the ballroom brimmed with energy. An orchestra occupied a space, playing for the dancers. Besides the orchestra, everyone else were either noblemen or rich merchants. The whole ballroom  _ smelled  _ like money to Mila. Everything ranging from the ball gowns to the beverages to the cologne scented sweat smelled expensive. It’s not that Mila despised the rich because she was poor; it was actually the opposite. Mila comes from old money, except that her family didn’t take every single opportunity presented to them to flaunt their wealth, unlike the Dagon family.

Lord Dagon walked around the room holding a champagne glass, chatting with the guests. Mila couldn’t tell if he knew these people or if he was just benevolent. Avoiding the count, Mila shoved her way to the front of the ballroom where the count’s daughter was giggling to something a possible suitor has said to her. She waited until after the man went to get refreshments to make her move.

Once he was out of sight, Mila strode towards the count’s daughter, shoulders back and clicking her heels loudly against the floor. She didn’t care if she made a scene; she would be  _ delighted  _ if her acts caused a scene. The count’s daughter narrowed her eyes at her when she noticed her, and Mila smiled back. 

“Stella,” Mila said. 

“ _ What are you doing here? _ ” Stella said through her teeth.

“I brought you flowers.” Mila moved her arms closer to her, showing off the blood red hibiscuses.

“What do you really want?”

“My sword. Return my sword, and you get the flowers.”

Stella scoffs. “A priceless sword in exchange for a bouquet of rip-off roses? Are you hearing yourself?”

“Give me my sword,” Mila repeated, “And you will never see me again. I promise.”

Stella pauses, all expressions of mockery wiped from her face. “Tempting, but what if I  _ do  _ want to see you again.”

“Doesn’t matter. I just want what rightfully belongs to  _ me _ .”

“Never.”

Now it was time for Mila to do what she had planned for the hibiscuses in the first place. She had never intended for Stella to be gifted to hibiscuses; the favorite flower of Mila’s father doesn’t deserve to be touched by the dirty hands of a Dagon.

Mila crouched to the floor and laid the flowers inches away from Stella’s feet. She struck a match and tossed it onto the bouquet. The bloody hibiscuses burst into flames.

All of the heads in the ballroom turned towards the fire. Stella took a step back and unsheathed her sword.

“Put it away,” Mila said, quiet enough for only Stella to hear. It wasn’t unusual for nobility or others to carry swords around. Most people who could afford it walked around with their swords on display. Most of the men could barely be good competition in swordplay, let alone the women. If anyone figured out that Stella Dagon was talented enough with a sword to fight against a Laurier, she would have to tell them about how she took Mila’s sword in their brawl last week. After Lord Dagon finds out, he would put the Laurier sword in a safe place away from any hands, making it harder for Mila to retrieve. Stella too would also suffer consequences. A count’s daughter shouldn’t be spending time playing with swords.

Stella sheathed her sword, and Mila pulled out her ruby dagger.

“Seven days,” Mila said. Her words reverberated in the now silent ballroom. "You know what you need to do.”

Everyone was either too stunned or busy putting out the floral fire to stop Mila from leaving the manor.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this! I barely did any proofreading, so please excuse any mistakes. This is my first time posting anything onto Ao3, and there might be some slight formatting errors because of that. Any feedback is welcome!


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